Synopsis
Tex: The Man Who Built the Dallas Cowboys by Bob St. John is a vibrant, though sometimes sprawling, biography of Texas Earnest “Tex” Schramm Jr., the dynamic force behind the creation and rise of the Dallas Cowboys as one of the NFL’s most iconic franchises. Written by a longtime Dallas Morning News columnist who covered the team for decades, the book paints a vivid portrait of Schramm’s multifaceted personality—charismatic, hard-driving, innovative, and occasionally tempestuous—while chronicling his transformative 29-year tenure as the Cowboys’ president and general manager from 1960 to 1989. St. John draws on his intimate access to Schramm and the Cowboys organization to weave a narrative that captures the executive’s bold vision, his role in modernizing professional football, and his complex relationships with players, coaches, and owners. Though criticized for its occasionally disorganized structure and overwritten prose, the book brings Schramm’s larger-than-life character to life, offering a detailed look at the man who turned a fledgling expansion team into “America’s Team.”
The biography begins with Schramm’s early life, born in 1920 in San Gabriel, California, despite his evocative name tied to his family’s Texas roots. A journalism graduate from the University of Texas, Schramm served in the Army Air Forces during World War II before cutting his teeth in sports media and administration with the Los Angeles Rams from 1947 to 1956, where he rose to general manager and mentored a young Pete Rozelle, who later became NFL commissioner. In 1959, when the NFL planned to expand to Dallas, Schramm seized the opportunity, recommended by Chicago Bears owner George Halas to team owner Clint Murchison Jr. Hired as general manager in 1960, Schramm quickly assembled a powerhouse trio with head coach Tom Landry and chief scout Gil Brandt, setting the stage for the Cowboys’ meteoric rise. St. John details how Schramm’s foresight and willingness to take risks—such as signing Landry to an unprecedented 10-year contract after five losing seasons—laid the foundation for the team’s remarkable success, including 20 consecutive winning seasons from 1966 to 1985, five Super Bowl appearances, and victories in Super Bowls VI and XII.
Schramm’s innovations are a central focus of the book, showcasing his role in reshaping the NFL. St. John highlights how Schramm pioneered the use of computer technology for scouting and player evaluations, introduced instant replay to improve officiating, and implemented fan-friendly changes like the referee’s microphone, quarterback headset communication, and multi-colored yard-line markers. He also created the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, a controversial yet iconic addition that coach Tom Landry deemed “not wholesome” but which became a cultural phenomenon, and launched the Dallas Cowboys Weekly, a team newspaper with a circulation rivaling major sports publications. Schramm’s business acumen extended to building the largest radio network for any sports franchise and introducing Spanish-language broadcasts, broadening the Cowboys’ reach. His pivotal role in the NFL-AFL merger, including secret negotiations with Lamar Hunt, is recounted with intrigue, illustrating his influence as a league power broker, often described as a “vice commissioner” due to his close ties with Rozelle and his sway at league meetings.
St. John doesn’t shy away from Schramm’s flaws, portraying him as a hard-drinking, profane, and stubborn figure whose temper could flare but who was also capable of sensitivity and humor. The book explores his complex relationships with players, from the easygoing Roger Staubach to the challenging Duane Thomas, and his tense dynamics with Landry, whose on-field genius complemented Schramm’s off-field vision but wasn’t always harmonious. The narrative also touches on Schramm’s controversial stance during the 1987 NFLPA strike, where he led efforts to hire replacement players, earning him the nickname “commissioner of replacement football” but costing the Cowboys’ performance in subsequent seasons with an 8–35 record over two and a half years. St. John notes the financial risks Schramm warned Murchison about, estimating a $2.5 million loss in the team’s early years, though the book leaves some questions about Murchison’s financial contributions unanswered. The biography also covers Schramm’s departure from the Cowboys in 1989 after Jerry Jones bought the team and fired Landry, a move that strained relations with Jones until a reconciliation led to Schramm’s posthumous induction into the Cowboys Ring of Honor in 2003, an honor Schramm himself had created.
Despite its rich anecdotes and insider perspective, the book’s non-linear structure, which jumps across time, can make it challenging to follow, and some readers have noted a lack of depth on certain aspects, such as the full scope of Schramm’s relationship with Murchison or his later role as president of the World League of American Football. Nevertheless, St. John’s affection for his subject shines through, painting Schramm as a visionary who elevated the Cowboys to a global brand and left an indelible mark on the NFL. Packed with colorful stories—like Schramm’s role in desegregating a Dallas hotel for Black players and his relentless pacing in his office—the biography captures the essence of a man who was always looking forward, unable to sit still, and fiercely dedicated to the Cowboys’ success. For fans of the Cowboys and NFL history, Tex offers a compelling, if occasionally unwieldy, tribute to a football legend whose innovations continue to shape the sport.